Outdoor or patio heaters have become popular for providing warmth in the out of doors, for example on a cool summer evening or in the spring or fall. Heat is provided by a burner atop a standard that burns a fuel, such as propane. Flames from the burner heat an insulator that becomes red hot and gives off radiant heat in all directions through an emitter, providing the desired warmth. A dome cover generally covers the burner and emitter from some of the weather, such as rain, but it also retains hot gasses rising from the burner, and reflects radiant heat that is directed skyward back down toward the users.
As the insulator is heated, it becomes red hot and emits radiant heat in all directions. However, on a windy day, if the breeze reaches the burner, it can change the heat distribution around the insulator. Heat will be carried by the breeze from the side facing the wind to the side away from the wind, significantly reducing the warmth on the windward side of the heater. Such changes in temperature distribution are visually indicated by the color of the insulator. When there is no wind, it is a uniform bright red color. However, introduction of a steady breeze of approximately 10 miles per hour results in a lack of coloration on approximately one quarter of the insulator facing the wind and a noticeable drop in temperature on that side.
The size of the dome cover is carefully considered to trade off the amount of surface area available to reflect heat and protect the burner from weather compared with the shipping cost of the unit. The dome cover is generally supplied as a one-piece item. As the size of the dome cover increases to block more wind and reflect additional heat, a larger shipping box is required to contain it. As the box for each heater gets larger, fewer numbers of units are able to fit inside a shipping container, thus increasing shipping costs. Currently, some manufacturers ship the dome cover separately from the heating unit to minimize the overall shipping volume and reduce costs.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved dome cover for a outdoor heater that improves heat distribution under windy conditions.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved dome cover with a larger surface area to better reflect radiant heat that does not result in higher shipping costs.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an improved dome cover for an outdoor heater that is readily assembled by the user without the need for tools.
These and other objects are met or exceeded by the present dome cover for a patio heater that provides improved wind protection without high shipping costs. The dome cover present ships compactly in a number of pieces and is easily assembled without the need for tools.
More specifically, the present invention provides a dome cover for an outdoor heater that is made up of a plurality of sides. Each side has at least three edges, a first edge is a finished edge, a second edge includes at least one first complementary fastener portion and the third edge includes at least a second complementary fastener portion. The first and second complementary fastener portions are configured and arranged to fit together to removably attach adjacent pairs of said sides to form a generally pyramidal shape. At least two edges on each of the sides are elevated at an angle above the plane formed by the base to form the generally pyramidal shape.
A cap is configured and arranged to hold the sides at the angle, and a locking plate is configured and arranged to cooperate with the cap to capture the sides between them.
During assembly, the tongue and groove of adjacent sides are attached to each other until all sides are attached to form a pyramid. The cap is placed on the top of the pyramid where all of the sides converge. All of the sides are held in place by placing the locking plate in such a position that each of the sides is sandwiched between the locking plate and the cap. An optional fastener holds the sandwich together. This construction makes the dome cover easily assembled by the user without the need for tools.
The knock down construction of the present dome cover allows it to be made larger for improved heat distribution on a windy day. Making the pyramid taller by increasing the angle of the sides with respect to the base of the pyramid blocks more wind from interfering with an even heat distribution out of the burner by blocking the wind for a greater depth. Enlarging the dome cover also provides a larger zone of calm air so that the area around the burner is less susceptible to eddys or wind currents that may penetrate the edge of the dome cover. A larger surface area around the burner also reflects more of the radiant energy downward toward the users.
Despite the larger size, the present dome cover is no more costly, and may be less costly, to ship than prior art dome covers. Shipment of the dome cover in several pieces greatly reduces the amount of space required to accommodate the larger size. Yet, due to the handy knock down construction, assembly of the dome cover is accomplished without tools or inconvenience to the user. The present dome cover also allows for the unit to be easily packed away for winter storage, taking up a minimum amount of space.